The need to empty my head
by foreverlight
Summary: Just a bunch of royai drabbles, ficlets, and oneshots.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. They belong to someone else.**

Yeah, I know. I should be writing chapter 9 for Embarrassed Meeting and I will. I just needed something to get me in a writting mood. So here I am doing some drabbles. As you can guess they're from the 100 theme.There is five in this chapter.Well, here we go.**

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Military Personnel**

A soldier always has a crisp, clean uniform on. It's worn properly. No button, insignia, or cord out of place. They stand stiff and salute when before a higher-ranking officer. Orders are followed to the letter without any discussions. This is how a soldier is to be when they are in the military but there is always an exception to this rule.

Within the Amestrian army there is a command that rarely follows proper military etiquette. That command falls under the leadership of one named Colonel Roy Mustang. He demands loyalty out of them but not manners. There is one that is most loyal to him by the name of First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. She is thought of as the perfect soldier by many of the higher ups.

Her uniform is always worn as told by protocol. There is never a wrinkle on it. Nor will it ever have dirt on it. She follows orders and carries them out swiftly. Respect is shown when it is called for. She is a perfect soldier but at the same time she isn't.

She will follow orders to the letter but only when given to her by Colonel Mustang. He changes the orders whenever he can to benefit himself and she will dutifully carry it out. No questions asked. She is loyal to him and only him.

Then there is the colonel himself. Colonel Roy Mustang, celebrated war hero, is one of the laziest people alive. Paperwork is easily forgotten while fun things are always on his mind. He is determined to change things in the military yet sometime he doesn't have the will to do it. He follows orders but will question the validity of it every step of the way.

Their relationship as superior and subordinate is far from normal. He has the higher ranking yet she is in charge of the office. Whenever there is an issue, he always asks for her opinion. Where he orders his other subordinates, he gives her a choice. She is lower in ranking to him and does things that are consider insubordination by the military. He doesn't see it as that but as something that will save him. She is allowed to back talk to him and even to call him useless. They will walk side by side occasionally as opposed to having the subordinate the normal two steps behind. Also there is the occasional time where she will order him.

In the Amestrian army there are two types of military personnel. There are those that are loyal only to the military and its ruler. Then there are those who are loyal more to the military's ideals then the establishment itself and more importantly to the people.

**

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Gunshot **

A single gunshot. That was all that it took to end a life but at the same time it had destroyed so many more. It was the last thing that he heard before coming across the bodies. A single bullet had managed to take away both his strength and light.

She had run ahead against his orders when she felt something wrong. Now she was lying there with his best friend covered in blood. She had managed to get there in time, to take the bullet that was meant for Maes. But it was all in vein because the bullet went through her and into him. By the time he got there, she was already gone from the blood loss. His light was gone and all that was left in him was darkness. He never got to tell her how important she was, how she always shone the way whenever he was lost in a void, how she was his light and love.

His strength was still there but barely and he knew that it would only last for a minute longer. This man had always been with him. It was this man that he would call brother who had introduced him to his light and savior during the Ishbal War. He was the one that was pushing and pulling him to the top. His strength was the one who told him that he was in love with his light. Now a bullet within him was draining him of his life force. A cold, bloody hand found its way to his. It gave a slight squeeze before finally going limp, telling him that he would take care of her for him.

He kneeled there watching the two most precious people sleep their final sleep because of a single gunshot. The blame fell to him because he couldn't get there in time to stop the assailant. Because he could stop his light from shining his way to her death or for using all his strength to get to the top instead of saving it. The assailant had gotten away but not for long. A single gunshot was all it took to take them away so a single gunshot was all it was going to take to destroy the murderer and his ambitions.

**

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Battlefield **

There are four types of battles each with it unique field. There is one happening on a land with people fighting against other people. They have been to this type of battlefield many times. One in particular was the Ishbal War. He had burned people to a crisp while she shot at them. Bombs would explode taking many lives as shrapnel would take out the rest. Her sniper gun would take those that survived the initial attack out from a distance or he would take them out with his ignition glove at a closer range. It was a war zone plain and simple. Corpse filled the battlefield. And they were the executors. This was a physical battlefield for them.

The second type is of a verbal kind. This type's battlefield is usually that of their office. She would mention something of his laziness or his useless in the rain. He would always retort that he wasn't lazy or useless even if they were true. A small little argument would erupt into a war of words. He would go into his miniskirt rant while she would be yelling at him for his attitude towards women. In the end they would get mad at each other for days before finally making up.

Type number three is that of the mind. The battlefield is that of a board game of some sort, usually it was chess. It was to determine who was smarter, more cunning, and their level of trickery. It was a battle of the mind. During their play they would always come up with ways of distracting their opponent. He would make remarks of her beauty and she would make herself blush just to fool him. In the end, the game would be a stalemate.

Finally there is the fourth battlefield. This like the last two is from within the body. It is a battle with oneself; it is a battle between the mind and the heart. Their hearts long for each other but their minds keep them apart. They crave the warmth of each other and just as they are near their minds tell them of the consequences. The mind tries to dominate the body but the heart will fight for the control. In this battle, either the mind wins or the heart does. Rarely will it come out as a tie.

In truth there are many types of battlefields. There are those that can destroy a person and those that can rejuvenate a person. A battlefield is there to settle an argument of some sort. There will be a brief exchange there, as seen in the eyes of time, before it is left desolate and is only remembered in the history text. Then there are those that will forever be fought on and remembered just as long.

**

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Grave **

Roy stood there staring and thinking. He was the only person there, aside from Riza. It didn't feel like he was awake. That everything before him was a dream. No, it wasn't a dream; it was a nightmare. Any minute now, he would be waking up and getting ready for work. A sharp sensation went through his arm and he knew that this wasn't a nightmare. He had pinched himself to bring his mind back to reality only to find that everything was true. The tombstone before him was real and in that instance he wanted to blow it up. It was a disgrace to the man it was suppose to represent. It didn't show what kind of man he was, rather it was a representation of the mockery the military had for him. That tombstone didn't deserve to mark his grave. It tarnished it more than having nothing there.

The grave of his best friend, Maes, was a contradiction. It was sullied by the tombstone but livened up by the flowers. The flowers left by loved ones, left by his family, better represented his grave. It told of his colorfulness and personality. Every flower held within it an emotion or thought that person felt for Maes as they gave it him as a parting gift from them. That was the only thing that Roy found comfort in. That and the unwavering figure behind him. He gave a final salute to his friend and faced her. She stood there waiting for him, holding a bouquet of brightly colored flowers. The flowers were laid down with the rest before they finally made their way out of the cemetery. Before she could even protest, Roy took her hand in his. After a quick glance back to affirm that he was finally taking Maes's constant advice, they walked back home.

**

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Weapon/Fine **

He had a weapon of his own. It was unique compared to the others. He could make fire by snapping his fingers and using alchemy. The other weapons could be used to make fires if used in a special way. He found this out on a special mission they were assigned to. She had her guns, and he had his gloves.

Midway through the mission they ended up in a cave, soaking wet. It began to downpour and they were forced to seek shelter. The cave was dark but the moonlight helped them find their way around. They were in serious need of a fire for warmth. There was plenty of dry wood in the cave but how to make a fire. His gloves proved to be useless in this situation since they were wet. He sat there shivering but at the same time confused.

She was sitting next to a pile of wood. They had been position into a small, little tepee. Inside of it were patches of moss and roots. She sat there messing with her bullets. He sat at the cave wall, scrunched into a ball. His eyes were glued her, wondering what she was doing. The thing that caught his attention was when she took her gun and struck them against each other. Sparks flew from the scrapping metal. The next thing he knew there was a fire. She turned around and smiled at him.

The gun power from the bullet acted as a catalyst for the sparks and caught the moss on fire. From there the fire spread to the wood. They finally had light and a source of warmth. They were going to be fine. He felt like he was on cloud nine when the two of them stripped down to their underwear to avoid catching a cold. They sat back-to-back close to the fire as their clothes dried by it. Outside the cave it was surely flooding but in there they were fine and all thanks to her weapons. It was nice to be saved by her bullets and by her gun without taking a life in the process.

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Not really sure with how that went. Review and tell me what's wrong or right. Whichever. I'll update whenever I have writers' block with my other stories. See ya. 


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah, I changed the title. It didn't seem to fit since I have a tendency to write a lot, as can be seen by my other fics. Hell my author notes are longer than drabbles sometimes. It might even be impossible for me to write drabbles. Well here is the next batch of royai themes. I'm going straight down the list so they won't be numbered. Also there will be five to each chapter. Let's see. The last chapter had a more serious tone to them. I couldn't help it. Look at the themes: grave, gunshot, battlefield.Well, the ones here won't. They are the result of the remaining fluffiness I had in my head last week. Umm...well, enjoy!**

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**

**Death **

"Hey, Colonel," Havoc asked from the chair across Roy's desk. Roy, who should have been doing his work but wasn't, raised his head up over the stacks of paper to look at his blonde, smoking subordinate. Havoc had come in during his break to annoy Roy, at the request of Maes since he was busy developing new pictures of Elicia.

"What?" Roy replied a bit agitated that this man was bothering him during his self-proclaimed naptime.

"How you ever wonder how you were going to die?" The question had come out of nowhere and it caught Roy off guard.

"And why are you asking me this?" he finally managed to say.

"Well, I was nearly in a car crash this morning. It got me thinking that I might have died that instance. So I've been thinking of how I would leave this world. Would I have died in a freak accident, honorably killed in battle, die of old age, or die because I did something stupid?

"For you, I would say the latter. As for me I'm hoping for old age but with my lifestyle I'll probably die in battle."

"You're probably right."

There was a knock at the door and soon Riza walked in. In her arms was a very large stack of papers mostly for Roy since she already had a stack on her desk that needed to be done. She made her way to her desk, dropping some of the paper in her stack. Then she carried the rest of it to Roy's desk. She placed it on an open spot on Roy's desk.

"On second thought, Havoc, paperwork will be the death of me."

"No kidding," Havoc said staring at the towering stacks of paper on Roy's desk.

"I'll the death of the both of you if you two don't get back to work," Riza said still standing next to Roy's desk. They have forgotten that she was still there. Havoc made a dash to the door when he saw Riza go for her gun. Roy quickly picked a pen and started scribbling like crazy. That did last long. He quickly became bored and stopped working. "Do you need some motivation, sir?" She was standing behind him. Not once had she gone to her desk to actually start on her own paperwork. That had to wait until she could get Roy to do his. She moved to where she was standing in front of him. Bending down, she gives him a light kiss on the lips. "Now, do your paperwork if you don't want me locking you out of the house again."

Roy smiled at her attempt to motivate him. He watched her body make its way to her desk a few feet away from his. Lacing his fingers and putting his elbows on his desk, he laid his chin on it. He stared at her as she took a report from the top of her pile and began working. The smile got bigger on his face as he thought of what they could be doing later or maybe in the next couple of minutes. Riza could feel his gaze on her. She decided to pull out the big guns, not literally.

"Roy, it'll be the death of your sex life if you don't do your paperwork." Roy's gaze faltered. His eyes nearly bulged out their sockets. The normal calm face that he usually had was now in a state of panic. As fast his hand could move, he grabbed his pen and started writing his signature. Riza smiled and continued with her paperwork.

**

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Crime and Punishment **

"Riza, can I please have my clothes back?" Roy begged from his position in front of Riza's desk. At the moment, Roy was clad only in his boxers, a pair of socks, and his ignition gloves. His arms were wrapped tightly around his body as it was slightly hunched over, trying to keep warm.

"No," Riza replied. She had not lifted her head to look at him. To her, at the moment, paperwork was more important. That and the fact if she looked up to see Roy in his bunny boxers, she'd burst out laughing again. Roy couldn't stand talking to her if she wasn't going to look at him. He slammed his hands on her desk to draw her attention to him, which it did. Riza looked to where his hands were and followed them up to his eyes. She had to hold back her laughing when she caught sight of his boxers. When her copper eyes met his jet black eyes, she could see he was slightly angry and a bit amused.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye as your superior I order you to give me back all my clothes you have stolen," he said with a serious tone.

"No, sir. This is your punishment for stealing all my pants and leaving only a miniskirt for me to wear to work."

"You're defying a direct order from your superior," he said leaning closer to her. Riza took out a piece of paper and flashed it in front of Roy. A smirk came across her face.

"By order of the fuehrer, I have permission to punish you in any shape or form I deem fit for the crime you have committed." Roy quickly read over the piece of paper in her hand. His face went into shock. Not only was Riza allowed to do whatever she wanted to do to him without any consequences but in addition no one was to help him in any way. "It seems Fuhrer Bradley didn't think your miniskirt joke was funny."

"But-"

"Now go do your paperwork."

"But it's cold at my desk. Can't I have my pants back?"

"No. It wouldn't be punishment if I gave them back to you."

"But it's snowing outside."

"I could always open the window."

"No need, Riza. I'll go do my work, but if I get sick because this you're taking care of me."

"I always take care you when you're sick. Now get to work." Roy solemnly made his way back to his freezing cold desk. He gave a little jump when he sat down in his chair. His body shook as he sat and tried to work on signing the papers on his desk. "I'll give your clothes back at the end of the day."

"How and when did you steal my clothes?"

"I have a key to your room, and I took them last night."

"A key to my room? How did you…Maes!"

"Right on the nose. Now you better kept yourself warm if you don't want to get sick."

"I've got an idea of how to get warm."

**

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Store lined Streets **

"Would you hurry up, Roy!" Riza shouted to the trailing Roy. Today was their day off and Riza had convinced Roy that he needed to update his wardrobe. He dragged her along for her clothing opinion. He might as well, she sees him more than anyone else. If anyone knew what looked good on him it would be her. Today Roy wore a white dress shirt with black slacks while Riza wore a simple white sundress. She decided to wear her hair down on this little outing. The two of them had just come out of a clothing store but didn't buy anything. That store had nothing but business suits and Roy wasn't in desperate need of any.

"Can't we take a break?" Roy said as he caught up to her. He was carrying two bags of clothing that he had brought from a previous store. "We've been at this for hours."

"It's only been an hour and a half. We'll take a break after this store. Okay?"

"Okay."

They go into the next clothing store. This store had clothing of the casual and dress up nature. Riza grabs some dress shirts and a couple of t-shirts. They're immediately shoved in Roy's hands, and he is pushed into a dressing room. After seeing them on him, Riza chose which looked good and what didn't. Not satisfied with only finding two suitable shirts, she went in search of some more. She returned to Roy with some more shirts only to find him holding some clothes of his own, except they were women's clothing. There was a smile on his face.

"What are you doing with those?" she asked him.

"Well, I thought you could try on some clothes, too. This is your day off, too, might as well get some new clothes for yourself. I picked some out for you."

"We are here for you, not me."

"Oh, but your using your only day off to help me. At least let me buy you something…as a gift."

"Fine, but if there's a miniskirt in there I'm shooting you."

"But a miniskirt would show off your legs and might I say you have some very nice legs."

"No."

"If I promise to do my paperwork for the next two months without any complaints or a need for your motivation, will at least try them on?"

"Fine," she replied after taking a couple minutes of deliberation. "But if I hear any catcalls or if you tell the gang about this, then expect the military to find your bullet-filled body down by the river."

She exchanged the clothes she had in her hand with the ones in his. Then she walked into a changing room. After recovering from the shock of her answer and threat, Roy walked into an adjacent room. He quickly changed in a new outfit and walked out. Riza was still in her changing room so he waited. He waited a long time. How long could it take to change?

"Riza, are you done yet?" Roy finally asked after what seemed like hours.

"I'm not coming out," Riza called out.

"But why not? Do you need some help?"

"NO!"

"Then come out. Or do you want me come in there?" Roy had a smile across his face as he said this. It would have been a treat to go in there but he would have lost his life if he did. So he stood there as the door slowly opened, and Riza walked out. Roy couldn't help from staring at her. His gaze didn't even falter when he saw that she still wearing her gun holster on her thigh. It made the sight seem even more real. His jaw had dropped in amazement. Riza was wearing a white sleeveless blouse with a black pleated miniskirt. There was a huge blush across her face. She stood in front of Roy, head down because she was to shy to look him in the eyes. "Nice." That caught her attention and she raised her head to look him in the eyes. Her blush became even brighter when she saw the smile. She quickly turned her head away. "I always knew you would look good in a miniskirt."

"This is only a one time deal, Roy." With that she walked back into the dressing room, closing the door behind her. She only opened the door to stick her hear back out. "That's a nice shirt. You should buy it."

After delivering its message, her head went back into the room. Roy went back into his dressing room with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. He quickly changed back into his own clothes and headed back to the clothing section with the shirts he was intent on buying. Like earlier, he finished changing before her. He leant against the wall next to her door waiting for her. The whole time was spent daydreaming about Riza in a miniskirt. The ringing of a bell brought him out of his daydreaming. He looked over to the door to see four women walk in, four women he personally knew. Shelter was in desperate need. He went into the nearest dressing room. He didn't even get to close the door before he went into mental overload. There standing in front of him was Riza, wearing nothing but her underwear.

"ROY!" she shouted as she grabbed her dress, holding it close to her body in attempt to cover as much of her body as she could. Roy was as stiff as a board. The next thing he knew he was literally kicked out of the room. He flew out of the room, landing on his back. She glared at him from her position at the doorway stilling covering her body with her dress. "Stay out here if you know what's good for you." With that she slammed the door closed.

"Hello, Roy," a voice from above him spoke. He tilted his head up to look at the person speaking to him. It was one of the women he saw enter the store. She looked middle-aged. She was looking down at Roy smiling. "Still getting into trouble I see."

"Hi, Mom." He got up from his position on the floor to look her in the eyes. He dusted off the dirt from his clothes and fixed up his hair. The three women from earlier soon joined the two of them. "I see you've brought my dear _older_ sisters."

"Nice to see you, too, Little Brother," one of the women said. "Out shopping with one of your girlfriends."

"No!"

"Then who was the woman that kicked you out?" another sister asked. A smile came onto her face. "Is she someone very special? Maybe a new addition to our family?"

"By the blush that's on his face I would say yes," his final sister said. Roy stood there bright red as his sisters interrogated him.

"Riza is my…" Roy began. Riza took this opportune time to come out of her dressing room, wearing her dress. Roy's sister immediately surrounded her. They looked her over as Roy groaned at the rudeness of his sisters. His mother just continued to smile. Roy knew that wasn't a good thing when it came to the women in his life.

"Welcome to the family," his oldest sister said hugging Riza. The others joined their sister in hugging the blonde woman. Riza stood there being hugged by three women who she didn't know. "You'll fit in just perfectly."

"Umm…Roy?" Riza said confused. She was really confused to have three total strangers hugging her but it was even more confusing to have Roy just stand there like an idiot. Her savior came in the form of the middle-aged women standing next to Roy.

"Now, now. Give her some air. She has enough problems dealing with Roy, though it seems she's doing fine in that department." The women pushed all the women off Riza with little resistance. With them gone Riza could finally get a breath of fresh air in her. Her attention returned to Roy who still hadn't made any signs of being alive. The women soon caught her attention again when they started praising her on how she handled Roy. "That was a good kick you gave him. You showed him who was the boss."

"Most women would have let him see them like that," the oldest one said. "Then again you don't seem to be like the other women."

"Isn't that the truth," another one added. "She isn't against violence although we have a better way of getting Roy to see things our way."

"We just threaten to pull out pictures from his childhood," his mother said. That finally snapped Roy back into reality. He quickly grabbed Riza's hand, the clothes he's buying, and their bags. After paying for his clothes, he made his way out the store dragging Riza behind him. He nearly broke into a sprint when he caught a glimpse of a picture in one of his sister's hand. "Hey, Roy, have you proposed to her yet?"

He definitely broke into a sprint after that. He ran as fast as he could out the store with Riza down the street passing the many stores there. The two of them were blushing like crazy. The proposal question had caught them both off guard. It was suppose to be a simple day of shopping that had turned into total chaos and Riza was completely confused about what happened. After running for a few minutes, Riza stopped and yanked Roy's hand back to make him stop as well, which he did.

"Do you mind telling me what that was all about?" Riza asked looking him in the eyes.

"Umm…that was nothing," Roy said scratching the back of his head with the hand carrying the bags.

"Roy," she said with a serious tone as she took a step closer to him. That tone of her voice always meant that she was going to bring out her gun if he didn't tell her the truth. He gave a quick sigh before starting.

"That…they…the three ladies that hugged you were…my sisters," Roy said trying to find the right words to describe his family. It would have been easier to say they were Maes's sisters by the way they acted. The blush on his face had become even brighter when he noticed how close he was to her after she had taken that step towards him. "And that woman that basically saved you from them was my mom. Let's just say that Maes and I was switched at birth. That would probably explain things better."

"Oh."

"Sorry for all the trouble."

"It's alright. Let go have lunch then we can finish our shopping afterwards." With that Riza walked towards a nearby café pulling Roy along by the hand. Roy tightened his grip around her hand and made his way to stand beside her as they walked to the café. A smile came onto Roy's face as he noticed that Riza had not once let go of his hand since he had taken hers. Somewhere in the background he knows that his mom and sisters are watching them. Maes would probably run into the women of his family sooner or later if he had not already. That was quickly confirmed when he heard the man and soon after his mom.

"Propose to her already!"

"And make me some grandchildren!"

**

* * *

Unknown Past **

In East City, Roy Mustang's favorite pastime, aside from going on dates, was playing chess with the commanding general of the east, Lieutenant General Grumman. Whenever he had the time, he and the general would play a round or two of chess. Sometime he would go to him even if he didn't have the time, mainly when there were towers of paperwork to avoid. Nearly each game would end in a lost or a stalemate. Roy couldn't win against the old timer. So here he was in the general's office playing chess in the hopes of actually winning one but this time he wasn't alone. On a nearby couch was First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. She was currently reading a book while he and Grumman had their match. Normally she would be dragging Roy out to do his work but it was a few minutes to their lunch break so she let him get away with not doing his paperwork this time. The only reason she stayed there was to make sure that he doesn't play through the entire workday.

"Riza, you don't have to wait for me," Roy said as he moved a knight to capture one of Grumman's pawns. "I'll be back in the office when lunch is over."

"I'm fine waiting, and we all know that I'll end up dragging you out of here anyways. It's better if I just stay here."

"She's got you there, Mustang," Grumman said that he moved a bishop. "She usually does drag you out of here kicking and screaming. I've never known a man of your rank to act like a child when his _subordinate _pulls him away to do his work."

"Well, I'd rather play chess than do paperwork."

The minutes passed and Roy was horribly losing to Grumman. He had lost most of his pawn and some of his knights. Grumman had lost some of his pawns and a bishop. He had more experience than Roy so it was some easy to tell who would win. Riza was content to read her book and every once and awhile look at the clock to see how much they had left.

"So Lieutenant how is your mother?" Grumman said out of the blue. It totally caught Roy off guard and he nearly put his queen in the wrong block. "She is doing well?"

"She is doing fine," Riza replied not bothering to look up. "She said if my father buys another gun for my birthday, she'd shoot him with it. Also she sends her love and wishes that you would call more often."

"You know her mother?" Roy blurts out.

"Yes, I've actually known the lieutenant since she was a baby," Grumman replies with a fond smile. Roy is completely lost in his mind. He thought he was the only one in the military that knew her best, aside from Maes but that was different since the man could easily get her file and learn about her that way. As he thought it over, he realized that he barely knew anything about her. She basically knew everything of him but he knew practically nothing of her. He knew her name, she could cook since she occasionally made an extra lunch for him whenever she brought one for herself, loved reading, is a dog-lover, is strict but kind. He knew things of her now but knew nothing of Riza's past, her family. The general continued with his fondness of the lieutenant. "She was the cutest little thing whenever her father brought her along with him to work. The first thing she would always do was latch onto my leg and stay there for the rest of the day."

"Riza, we've known each for awhile as well, don't we?"

"A couple of years."

"But in all that time I don't know anything from before I met you. Hell, don't know that much of you right now."

"What do you want to know? I'm not that complicated."

"How old are you?"

"25."

"Really? You're not just trying make yourself younger like most women do."

"Have you known me to ever lie to you?"

"Good point," Roy said as he continued his game with Grumman. The general was smiling. He had trapped Roy in his web of deception with that innocent little question. He was going to get what he had been trying to accomplish since Roy was placed under his command and he was going to win this chess game, too. "And your family? What about them?"

"My mother and father live in West City. My father was in the military but retired a few years before the Ishbal War. Since I'm an only child, I'm carrying out the family tradition."

"So you don't have any family members close by."

"Just those in the military," Riza said as she closed her book and got up. Their lunch break was almost over and she was preparing herself to be ready if Roy was in need of being dragged back to work. She made her way to Roy and Grumman. She stood next to the table that the chessboard was on, studying the game that the two men were playing.

"You mean me and the others."

"Yes, you and the others as well as my grandfather. He is a lieutenant general in the military."

"Really? Do I know him?"

"I would think so," Riza replied taking Roy's queen and moving it in front of a knight. Roy tried to stop her but was taken back by the rest of her response. "You're playing chess with him right now." She smiled and faced Grumman. The smile was aptly returned when he figured what had happened. "And that was checkmate, Grandfather."

"I never could beat you, my dear."

"Well, I had a good teacher."

"I didn't teach you to be that good. So should we put this down as a win for Mustang?"

"No, he would have lost if I didn't make the move. Just don't count this game."

"I guess he's still winless against me."

"Well, we must be off," Riza said after giving her grandfather a quick kiss on the cheek. "There is a lot of paperwork the colonel has to do."

During their little conversation, Roy looked like he was frozen in time. His face had remained in a shocked look. One arm was outstretched to where he was about to grab his queen from Riza's hand. He hadn't made a move since he learned that his favorite superior was the grandfather of his favorite subordinate. It was no wonder now why he had always liked the two. They were complete opposites but there was a similar aura around the two. He was only brought back when Riza said his first name from her position at the door. Her using his first name always knocked him back into reality. Roy came back to life to find Riza holding the door open for him and Grumman putting up the chessboard and its pieces. They rose from their chairs at the same time.

"So Mustang, would you-" Grumman began.

"I accept," Roy interrupted him. He knew what Grumman was going to ask. The man asked the same thing at every chess game they had. This time the general would get a different answer since Roy finally knew whom he was talking about. "But now is not the time."

"Indeed," was all that Grumman said.

Roy gave a salute and the general dismissed him. He walked passed the confused Riza and out the door towards his office. Riza stood there with her hand still lingering on the door. She was currently analyzing what had just happened between Roy and Grumman. It didn't take her long to figure it out.

"Grandfather, you didn't."

"What? I didn't do anything."

"Don't play dumb. I can't believe you did that."

"Well, he did accept it."

"You shouldn't have."

"You're my only granddaughter. I want to make sure you're taken care of. Besides you don't have to worry about finding a husband now."

"Grandfather…"

**

* * *

Promise **

Riza entered hers and Roy's office just as Ed came out fuming with Al following a few steps behind him. After closing the door, she turned her attention to Roy who was leaning against the front of his desk with a smirk on his face.

"What did you call him this time?" Riza asked walking to him with a stack of paperwork she gone to get a couple of minutes ago.

"Just the usual: shrimp, munchkin, shorty, midget." Roy pushed himself of his desk to stand up straight when Riza stood in front of him. She practically shoved the stack into his hands. He looked down at it with a gloomy face. "More paperwork?"

"Think of it as karma for all the times you make fun of Edward's height."

"But I didn't tease him that much."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Riza replied as she turned to walk to her desk. Roy quickly put the stack of paper on his desk before he turned back around to grab one of Riza's wrists and pulled her back to him where their bodies were only a few centimeters apart.. "Sir?"

"Riza…" Roy began as he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer to him. She rested her hands on his chest as their two bodies touched. "What are you getting me for my birthday next week?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

"But I want to know. I could order you to tell me."

"And I could just not come."

"Cruel woman."

"If you finish all of your work by the end of the day, I'll give you a hint."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

Roy went through his paperwork at lightning speed. He finished with plenty of time to spare. Riza was done before him. That was the one thing that amazed him. How could she finish before him when he usually dumped half of his work on her? But on to more important things. The two of them stood in the middle of the room. Roy was anxious to figure out what Riza was getting him.

"Okay, I finished my paperwork," Roy said jumping from one foot to the other. "What is it?"

"I don't feel like telling you now."

"But you promised."

"Did I? I guess I lied." Roy face had gone from happy as can be to disappointed, but that didn't last long since an idea came to his head. If she wasn't going to give him the hint that she promised then he was going to force it out of her. Before Riza could take in what had happen, she was on the ground with her body being held down by his and her arms pinned near her head by his hands. It took her mind a few seconds to finally comprehend that he had gently tackled her to the ground. "Roy, what the hell are you doing!"

"Getting that hint out of you?"

"Get off of me! People could walk in and see us like this!"

"Not until you tell me."

"No, I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Then I'm not getting off."

Riza had to think of something quick to get out of this predicament. If someone, aside from their friends, caught them in this position then they would surely get court-marshaled. She couldn't tell him what she was going to give him. It was an extremely special gift that she was giving him, and she couldn't let him find out what it was before the party. It would ruin the surprise. There was one thing she could do. She was going to hate doing this later but there was no other way.

"Roy, if I promise to jump out of your birthday cake wearing a miniskirt, will you quit asking what your birthday present is?" she shouted out.

"Hell yes!" Roy said after he finally got over the shock of hearing Riza's proposal.

"Now get the hell off me!"

"Not yet," Roy said keeping her firmly flat against the ground. "You promise? This isn't a trick like the last time?"

"I promise. Now off."

"How can I be sure your not lying?"

"I swear on your life that I'm not lying."

"Aren't you suppose to swear on your own life?"

"No, we are suppose to swear on things we couldn't live without."

"Oh. Okay."

"Now get off me, Roy."

Roy didn't make a move to get off her. He had other ideas on mind. A smirk came on his face as he looked at the irritated Riza beneath him. He was in the perfect position for some of his ideas. The others would have to wait because of what she said earlier. Someone could walk in and see them. Right now he would have to wait for the perfect opportunity. He didn't have to wait long because Riza had become impatient with having to wait for Roy to get off her. She wasn't even sure that Roy had heard her order. Her mouth opened to tell him to get off her again. That was when Roy lowered his mouth onto hers. She was caught off guard for a second but she quickly returned the kiss. All seem to be forgotten as the two of them laid on the ground kissing.

"A promise sealed with a kiss," Roy said after he broke from the kiss. "Now I don't need to worry about you breaking it."

"Fine, now get off me before someone…"

Riza didn't even get to finish the sentence as the door began to open. The two of them knew they had just been caught in an inappropriate position. Now all they had to do was face their would be executors. They moved their line of sight from each other to the doorway. It was worse than they thought. The person standing there was someone who would torture them mercilessly for this encounter, Roy especially.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Maes asked with a grin on his face.

"Umm, no…just making a promise," Roy answered.

"A promise that you would marry her?" Maes eagerly asked. He could tell that Roy was going to kill him for that question. As for Riza, she had a really good control on her emotions but deep down she wanted to shoot him. She would have if Roy would let go of her wrists so she could grab her gun. Roy made a move to get up, and Maes made a move to run but he being Maes whipped out a camera and took a couple of pictures before running down the hallway. Roy got up and pulled Riza along with him. After dusting off their uniforms of whatever was on it, they casually made their way through the building in search of their soon to be crispy and bullet-filled friend.

"Don't forget, Riza. A promise is a promise."

* * *

See what I mean when I said me writing drabbles might be impossble. Well, how did you like them? Fluffy enough? Should I go back to being serious? Review and tell me. 


	3. Chapter 3

I had forgotten that I had written this. I must have finished it a few days before I broke my arm and forgot about it. So here is chapter 3.

**

* * *

**

**Liar**

"Colonel, would you please finish your paperwork?" Riza asked from her desk.

It was well pass normal working hours. She and Roy were, as usual, working overtime because he was slacking off during the day. And as usual she was sitting at her desk reading a book waiting for him to finish the stupid stack of paperwork while he continued to slack off. How hard is it to do a simple stack of paperwork during the day especially since she had already done most of it for him?

"But I already finished doing them," Roy said pointing to a stack of paper.

"I'm talking about the ones you stuffed in your desk drawers."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Riza closed the book she was reading and placed it on her desk. Then she got up and walked to Roy's desk. Once there she moved behind it and stood next to him. Bending down, she opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a small stack of papers.

"I'm talking about these," Riza said dropping the papers on Roy's desk. "You're a terrible liar, sir."

"But I make up for it by being a great kisser," Roy said pulling Riza into his lap. She tried to struggle but Roy stilled her when he pressed his lips against his. They stayed in that position for as long as their lungs would allow them. When they finally parted Riza was blushing and panting while Roy had a smirk on his face since he had accomplished one of his lifelong goals. After so many nights holding back his emotions, he finally kissed her. She got off him, walked back to her desk, and sat down. Roy rested his chin on laced fingers as his elbows laid on his desk. He kept his eyes on her. "Good?"

"I'd have to say that Havoc is a better kisser," she replied as she picked up her book and began reading it while trying to refrain from smirking. During this time, Roy's nearly fainted in his seat at her response. "Although he would be better if he didn't taste like tobacco."

"You kissed Havoc!" he said after regaining some of his composure. She nodded her head as she turned to the next page in her book. There was silence between them before he continued on after realizing something else about her comment. "And what do you mean he's a better kisser than me?"

"I don't know. It just feels better when I kiss him, and he uses his tongue more."

That prompted Roy to get out of his seat and stride up to Riza. He immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the chair she was sitting in. In the process she dropped her book on the floor. It took Riza a few seconds to process everything that had happened because Roy instantly shortened the distance between their mouths. He began mercilessly kissing her. She tried to back away but he only followed her until she was backed up against the wall. As time passed, Riza stopped resisting Roy's kiss and began to return it. Her hands rested on his shoulders while his arms wrapped around her waist. Their tongues danced together until neither could hold their breath any longer. Their mouths departed panting for air. Roy rested his forehead against hers. A minute after they became two separate people, Riza started laughing.

"What?" Roy asked confused at the sudden and unfamiliar noise coming from Riza.

"Did you honestly believe that I've kissed Havoc? You're so gullible, Colonel. That man is terrified to be alone with me in the same room. He'd never kiss me."

"But why did you say it?" Roy asked as he moved his head a few inches away from hers so that he could look her in the eyes.

"To practice my lying which you should be doing since you're so bad at it. The higher ups will know when you're not being truthful with them, and we can't have that if we are to get you to the top. The others are good at lying, too, or to better phrase it good at leaving out certain details."

"So the whole kiss thing was a lie." Riza nodded her head. Roy felt like a complete idiot. Of course Riza wouldn't actually kiss Havoc. He should have known something was wrong when she mentioned his other blonde lieutenant and kissing in the same sentence. Havoc wasn't very good when it came to women, and Riza was whole different type of woman. "You're a cruel liar, making me think that you and Havoc had a thing going on."

"Why do you care if I have a thing with Havoc or with any of the other men?" Riza asked with a raise eyebrow.

"Because I just do," Roy answered. He wasn't entirely sure if he should tell her the truth. The fact that their bodies were still close to each and that his arms were still around her waist wasn't helping him at all. It definitely didn't help when Riza wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her body against his.

"Is it because you care about me or should I said love me?" Riza whispered against his lips.

"No."

"Liar."

"Fine, I love you. Do you?"

"No."

"Now who's being a bad liar?"

* * *

**Proof**

"This wasn't what I had in mind when I told him I wanted proof," Maes said in his current position.

"Well, you didn't really specify the type of proof you wanted," Glacier said from beside him.

"Well, he should have known what I meant when I said that he needed to prove to me that he loved Riza."

"He knows what you meant, Maes," Riza said from the other side of him. "He'd rather embarrass himself in front of Edward than do what you want him to."

"What's so hard about buying an engagement ring and asking you to marry him?"

"Don't you remember what happened to you when you wanted to marry Glacier?"

"Yes, dear, you were a total wreck," Glacier said. "You almost didn't propose to me. In fact you didn't. Roy had to ask me for you."

"I couldn't help it. You were so beautiful. And now I'm returning the favor."

"Just enjoy the show, Maes," Riza said as she relaxed into her chair.

The lights in the room got dark as the show was about to begin. Glacier moved closer to her husband and held onto his arm. Riza leaned back and prepared herself for some of the embarrassment she was going to get. The other subordinates had been invited to this private show as well. Havoc, Falman, Fuery, and Breda sat together near the back of the place. Ed and Al had front seats. They weren't going to miss any part of this show since Ed could use it as blackmail against Roy. Elicia and Armstrong sat near the buffet table playing with Black Hayate. Then there was Roy. A spotlight came onto the stage and Roy stepped out into it.

"Maes, you better not ask me to do this again," Roy shouted into the microphone.

"This wasn't what I really asked you to do. You know what I meant."

The music started and Roy began singing a love song to Riza. She couldn't help but blush. At the moment, she was glad that the room was dark and that no one could see it. Ed could easily be heard snickering while Al was trying to shut him up. Elicia started cheering and clapping her hands while Hayate started barking along with the music. The others just sat and watched as their boss was making a fool of himself in front of them. It was going to be a weird day tomorrow at work.

"I guess this is proof enough that he loves you, Riza," Maes said turning to her.

"That worry Maes," Riza said pulling her necklace out from under her dress's neckline. "I think the engagement ring he got me last month is more than enough proof."

"So he didn't have to do this, did he?" Glacier said as she looked at the ring. Maes had managed only to blink at this sudden realization. He couldn't believe Roy had already brought an engagement ring for her and he was still singing a love song to her. "This is more than enough proof that he loves her, Maes."

"Yes, it is. But why couldn't he just tell me he already proposed?"

"To prove you wrong," Riza answered. Maes looked at her weirdly. "To prove that he didn't need your help in finding a wife."

"And to bug the hell out of you," Roy said from beside Riza. He bent down and gave her a kiss before sitting next to her. "I know how my stubbornness to find a wife claws at your brain."

* * *

**Betrayal**

"Why have you betrayed me, Riza?" Roy shouted from his position against a wall. The two of them were in an underground tunnel, running away from Lust. Riza had led them into a dead end and was currently pointing a gun at Roy. "You promised to help me to the top."

"I'm following orders, Colonel. Orders that were given to me before I meant you."

"But you defied orders to kill me during the Ishbal War."

"That was to gain your trust. They needed me to get close to you, to keep an eye on their dog, and make sure you only did things that would help their agendas."

"They?"

"Fuhrer Bradley and the other higher-ups working to make the Philosopher Stone."

"All this time, the one I trusted the most is the one that hurt me the most."

"Goodbye, Colonel. Say hello to Maes for me."

Roy closed his eyes ready to meet his late friend in the afterlife. He couldn't help but shed a tear for falling for this trap but at the same time he would have made the same choices if it meant having made memories of his time with Riza. His memories of Riza passed through his head as he waited for her to pull the trigger and end his life. Then it finally happened. Gunshots filled the echoing tunnel…and Roy was still alive. He opened his eyes to find Riza lying on the ground full with bullets. He nearly burst into tears and dropped down to the ground to hold her dead body but a sound caught his attention before he could.

"Colonel!"

Turning in the direction of the sound, he saw the image of another Riza leaning against the wall. She was holding a gun in her shaking hand pointed at the Riza on the ground, panting heavily. The other hand was clutched at her side. A distinct red liquid was flowing in between her fingers and coloring her uniform purple. Roy didn't know what to do. He had a dead Riza in front of him and a living one coming towards him. The only thing that clicked in his mind was that he needed to defend himself since the still living Riza was now standing next to him.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" Within seconds, Roy had his hand into a snapping position in front of her. Riza was confused at first but quickly figured why he'd done what he had done. Of course he wouldn't know what was really happening. She cautiously moved closer to him, only to find him walking back towards the wall. This was going to be difficult with him being so fidgety. She didn't want him to accidentally kill both of them so she moved as quickly as she could with her injuries. Her free hand grabbed onto his gloved one, lacing it to prevent him from snapping. She pushed her body against his, making his back hit the wall. With her gun-wielding hand on his shoulder, she leaned up and kissed him. It didn't take long for Roy to start kissing her back. Their laced hands broke apart to find their proper place. His hands found her waist and hers were on his shoulders. When they broke apart for air, Roy couldn't help but still feel a bit confused. "Now are you alright?"

"Not really. What the hell is going on? Who was that? And did we just kiss?"

"That would be Envy. Lust attacked me when we separated and that changed into me to get to you. I managed to get away from Lust and made my way here only to find you in a daze. Yes, we did kiss. It was the only thing I could think of to wake you up."

"Oh."

"Let's get out of here before Envy comes back to life," Riza said turning away from him. She managed to walk a step before Roy grabbed her arm and pull her against his body. Her cheeks had flushed from this but not from the kiss a few seconds ago. She looked up into his eyes. "Sir?"

"Lieu-Riza, don't ever betray me."

"You know I would never."

* * *

**Covered Eyes**

She didn't know how it happened but she knew why it had to be her. She was the closest to him. So it was understandable that they would come after her. She just never thought that she would be so easily kidnapped. It had started as a simple walk home turned into a fight for her life. So here she was now hands bound behind her, blindfolded, and riding in what she believes is the trunk of a car going to who knows where trying to break free of her binds.

It seemed like hours since the car started driving. At the moment, Riza hated the driver more than the other kidnappers. He was a lousy driver. It was bad enough that she couldn't see anything in front of her. What was he doing? Aiming for every single pothole in the road? Riza couldn't count how many times her head hit the trunk or the spare tire back there. She knew what she was going to do when she got out, kick him in the groin as soon as she figure whom it was.

After countless hours, minutes, seconds or whatever the car finally came to a stop. She was thankful for it because she didn't think her head could take any more damage. A few moments later, she heard the opening and closing of doors followed by footsteps heading towards her. There was a click and the trunk was squeaked open. She felt body be lifted out to stand. Then she was pushed forward. Probably to the hideout.

There was a click of a door closing, and it being locked. Riza knew that they had arrived at their final destination. '_How the hell am I suppose to get out of this?'_ She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt hands travel up her arms to the blindfold. It was untied and fell to the ground. She saw nothing but darkness. She tried to look around for anything in the room but couldn't see a thing. There weren't any windows to provide even the littlest amount of light.

Riza felt a hand on her shoulder, pushing her forward. She took this opportunity to escape. Unbeknownst to her kidnappers, she had a small knife hidden in one her jacket sleeve and was currently cutting the ropes that were binding her. As soon as her wrists were free of the ropes, she grabbed the hand on her shoulder and threw the man over herself. The man yelped in surprise when he felt his body being lifted and groaned when he hit the ground. Riza delivered a swift kick to the head. Sensing a presence behind, she spun around and her fist connected with someone's face. Then there was a third person that tried to grab her. He was positioned near where she attacked the first culprit. Riza spun on one of her heels swinging the other leg until it came into contact what she hoped was the crotch. The man went down with a thud.

As fast as her legs could take her, she ran towards where she first arrived. Instead of finding the door she came in contact with the wall. Her hands searched the wall in hopes that it would lead her to the door. Amongst the search she found a light switch. With access to a source of light, she could easily find the door and escape. Quickly turning it on, the room filled with illumination. She had to blink a couple of times for eyes to adjust.

"Hap…py Birth…day!"

There in front of her were all of her friends and coworkers surrounding a table with a cake telling her happy birthday. And on the floor was Roy holding his head, Maes pinching his nose with blood dripping out of it, and Havoc grabbing his crotch. Riza's knees nearly gave out as she figured what was going on. She had forgotten her own birthday, but they remembered and were giving her a surprised birthday party. Then she remembered that she had just attacked three of them. She walked over to Roy since Glacier was helping Maes and Fuery was with Havoc. She kneeled down in front of him and took his head in her hands.

"Sorry, sir," Riza apologized as she looked over his head. She hoped that she didn't hit him too hard when she kicked him. So far there was nothing wrong with him. It was a good thing that Roy had a hard head. She turned to look at Havoc and Maes. They were fine, sort of. Maes's nose was bleeding a little but it didn't look broken. Havoc was standing but was walking a bit weird, which was understandable. "Sorry, Havoc and you as well Hughes."

Both of them waved it off and muttered that they were never going to try and kidnap her again. Riza stood and offered a hand to Roy, which he took. Out the three of them, he was the least injured. So it wasn't weird when he smiled at her.

"Riza, remind me never to kidnap you for a surprise birthday party," Roy said with a smirk. "It's an extremely painful job."

"Of course, sir," Riza replied. An impulsive feeling came over her, and before she knew it she had just kissed Roy on the lips. They were bright red when their lips parted. The others were whistling at the sudden display of affection from Riza. "Thank you for the party."

"Well…it wasn't just my idea. Actually the kidnapping part was but the party was everyone's idea. Seriously how could you forget your own birthday?"

"I've been busy trying to get a certain someone to do their paperwork."

"She's got you there, Mustang," Havoc shouted.

By the time Maes's nose stopped bleeding, the party was in full swing. Riza went around and thanked everyone for what they had done. Roy stayed close by, possibly in hopes of getting another kiss from her. Everyone was having a fun time. Havoc was getting drunk off of the punch. Fuery was playing with Hayate and trying to keep him away from Breda who was sitting on a table away from the dog. Maes was with Glacier while Elicia was running all over the place chasing a cat that Al had found. Ed was stuffing himself at the buffet table. And Armstrong was off torturing the others with his poses and stories.

"Having a fun time, Riza?" Roy asked as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Riza stiffened but soon relaxed in his arms. She still wasn't use to him doing that. "Did we surprise you?"

"Yes, I'm having a lovely time. And yes it was a surprise although I think I surprised you, Havoc, and Maes more."

"You got that right. I never expected that you had a knife in you jacket sleeve or for you to kick so hard."

"Well, you never should have kidnapped me. By the way, who was driving the car? I need to repay him for all the bumps in the road."

"That would be Havoc," Roy laughed as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I don't think you need to repay him now."

Elicia came running up to the two of them with the blindfold in her hands. She then indicated to a picture on the wall. Roy and Riza realized that she wanted to play pin the tail on the donkey. Riza took the blindfold and placed it around Roy's head. Then she picked up Elicia and let the little girl kiss him. Next she gave him a kiss.

"So where is my present, Colonel?"

"I left it at my apartment. You'll get to open it. I'll bring it by your apartment later."

"Good, just make sure you bring the blindfold with you when you come over. I've got some ideas for tonight."

She could hear him sputtering as she dragged him to the wall with Elicia in her arm. Tonight she was going to have fun. And Roy was going to feel what she felt while she was blindfolded in the trunk of the car.

* * *

**The Scent of Blood**

"Roy! Wake the hell up! Roy!"

Slowly, Roy began to open his eyes. He was greeted with the sight of his best friend, Maes Hughes, looking down at him. The man grinned down at Roy before finally offering a hand to him. Roy accepted it and was lifted of the floor.

"What happened?"

"You fainted, you wimp. Been out cold for three hours now. Though I can't really blame you because I almost did as well. Actually me and Armstrong were the only ones that didn't faint."

"The others?"

"They're in the guest room resting. Armstrong carried them there. I thought it was better to just leave you here. Man, I can't believe you went down so fast. You made loudest thud out of everyone. The great Flame Alchemist Roy Mustang went crashing to the floor at sight of blood."

"I can't believe I fainted, but I just couldn't stay standing any longer. There was so much blood and the smell was getting to me. It reminded me of Ishbal."

"Ishbal?"

"Yes, Ishbal. It reminded me of all the rotting corpses, the smell of innocent blood I spilled. The wind always carried the smell into the camp. I loathe that scent, wish it never existed."

"Oh, so it was the smell that got to you."

"Well, the smell was the main thing but the sight was what pushed me over the edge. Riza was losing so much blood, and then when I saw him completely covered in it I knew I was going down. Wait, where's Riza?"

"We moved her to the master bedroom. I thought she would be more comfortable there than on the couch."

Roy immediately ran out of the living room and into the hallway. Armstrong stood at door, his hand on the doorknob. He greet Roy with relief that the man was finally awake and a smile. These were followed by a huge bear hug. After Roy was completely airless and had managed to order his release, he asked Armstrong about Riza. Armstrong replied that she was doing fine and promptly picked Roy up from under his arms. He carried him down the hall to a room. Once out of Armstrong's grip, Roy opened the door. After taking a few steps he came into contact with a smiling Riza.

"I see that you're finally awake," Riza said looking at Roy. "I didn't think that the smell of blood still affected you."

"Well, I didn't expect there to be so much blood, and then there was you screaming in pain," Roy said as he sat next to her legs with a look of relief combined with concern. He ran the back of his hand across her cheek before cupping it. He hesitated at first for fear of accidentally hurting her in some way, but after some confidence buildup he leaned forwards and kissed her. "How are you doing, Riza?"

"It still hurts a little but I'll be fine."

"That's good. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"You'd probably die of suffocation from your paperwork," Riza laughed as she pulled him into another kiss. "So would you like to know how he is doing?"

"Yes," Roy eagerly said as he finally took notice of the other person in the room. "How's he doing? I caught a glimpse of him before I passed out."

"Doctor says he completely healthy." Riza pushed back the blanket on the bundle she held in her arm. By now, Roy was completely straddling Riza's legs and hovering over it. He could barely contain his excitement as the blanket was pushed further back. Soon tufts of black hair appear followed by an angelic face. Roy couldn't help but grin at the face of his son. "Cute, isn't he?"

"Yes," Roy replied, barely a whisper. He stared in awe at the little baby. He had scooted further up Riza's legs to get closer to him and was currently stroking his hair. "My little boy." After awhile the baby began to stir. He started stretching his body before finally opening his eyes. Blinking a few times, he stared at Roy with his black eyes. He already knew the person holding him was his mommy but had no clue who this man was so he just casually blinked at him. Roy chuckled at the confused look his son was giving him. "Hey, little guy. I'm your daddy. Sorry I fainted on you but at least I saw you get born."

"Would you like to hold him, Roy?" Riza asked sensing that Roy couldn't hold back much longer. Roy eagerly took him in his arms, careful not to actually hurt or drop him. He sat on Riza's legs holding their son. His finger ran down the boy's face earning him a squirm but the smile on his face widened when his son's little hand grabbed onto it. "He looks a lot like you."

"Yes, he does."

"Let's hope he doesn't get your lazy attitude."

"Yeah-Hey!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Hmm…the smell of blood is gone from him. That's good."

"Of course, he was wiped clean of it like every other newborn."

"But oddly enough, he smells of gunpowder."

* * *

I've noticed something after proofreading this chapter. In every theme I've made Roy and Riza kiss at least once. Sigh. I'm definitely a royai fan. It seems that I am a fluff writer, too, so I guess you should expect most of my stories to be fluffy. I'll probably throw some random serious ones in there. Embarrassed Meeting will be updated next week, hopefully. 


	4. Chapter 4

It's been a while since I updated this one. I've been busy with my other stories. Not exactly my best works but hey, I needed to update.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, as usual.

**

* * *

**

**A Voice that Carries but Doesn't Reach**

Riza woke up with the mother of all headaches. She gingerly touched her head when she felt a wave of pain take over her. Her hand came in contact with some bandages. Now she remember why she was in pain. Her idiot colonel didn't heed her warning about that building they were sent to inspect, and she had pushed him out of the way to save him. So she concluded that she was in a hospital now.

"How long have I been out?" she said in a hoarse voice.

She let her hand drop down to her side only to come in contact with something a bit fluffy yet coarse. By the feel of it, she could tell that it was hair. She looked down to find her hand running through a tuft of black hair. There was no doubt whose patch of black hair it belonged to. Her colonel was the only one with hair this long.

"Colonel," Riza called out to him. Her throat hurt when she spoke, probably from not being used much. It came out barely a whisper and nearly cracked. Roy made no movement at the sound of his name. That was no surprise. The man could probably sleep through an earthquake. "Colonel."

There was still no movement from the sleeping man next to her hip. Riza didn't think that it would do for him to continue to sleep in that position. He was going to have the mother of all backaches when he woke up, much like she did with her headaches. So she decided to wake him up but since her voice wasn't getting through that thick skull of his she would have to wake him up another way.

"Colonel," she called again, allowing him one more chance before she carried out her plan.

Roy continued to sleep, slightly drooling. Seeing that he wasn't going to heed her warning again, Riza took the pitcher of water on the side table next to her bed and dumped it on his head. Roy immediately fell back out of his stool onto the ground with a thud.

"Damn it, that's cold," he shouted at he got to his feet ready to toast whoever dumped ice cold water on him. He looked around the hospital for his next victim. There was no one there other him…and his lieutenant. He quickly looked over at her to find her smiling at him. "Riza! You're awake!"

Roy nearly pounced on her as gathered her up into a hug. He paid no attention to the fact that he was getting her wet. He was just happy to have her awake. She didn't care either. Roy was smiling and that was all that mattered to her. When they broke apart, he sat down and waited for her to scold him about being a reckless idiot. But Riza didn't say a word. She just laid there smiling at him.

"You know you could have woken me up in a different way. A simple "Colonel" would have sufficed."

**

* * *

Scars **

"Riza, where did you get that scar?" Roy said when he noticed a blemish on her body.

At the moment, Roy and Riza were changing in their office. There was a ball that night and neither had time to go home and change since a certain colonel refused to do his paperwork on time. Riza didn't think it was necessary for her to go all the way to the other side of the building to change in the locker room when the office was a perfectly good place. She and the colonel know each other long enough for her to be comfortable with the undressing aspect. Besides it wasn't like this was the first time they saw each other in only their undergarments nor was she unarmed at the moment.

"Which one?" Riza asked as she adjusted her stockings.

"The one on your stomach," Roy said as he touched the scar. Riza immediately stood up at his touch. It was a sort of unspoken rule that there was to be no touching between each other, at least at the office. His finger rubbed over the flesh as she stiffened a bit. They would get into a world of trouble if anyone walked in right now. "Sorry."

"It's alright. You usually keep your hands to yourself whenever we change in the office. Anyways, that one is from Ishbal."

"How did you get it?"

"An enemy got into the building I was hiding on and shot me at the same time I shot him."

By now Roy had Riza wrapped in his arms. The two of them still in nothing but their underwear. Roy had busied himself with kissing her neck. Riza was actually trying to get him dressed by buttoning up his shirt though she did enjoy the feeling of his lips on her neck.

"Is that the only scar you have?"

"The only one from the war. The rest are from you. Now stop, we have to get dressed."

"But we have plenty of time," he said, laying her down the couch with him on top. "Beside I want to make sure you aren't lying about those scars. You couldn't have gotten only one scar from the war."

"And when did you get that scar?" Riza said as she point to a little scar on Roy's shoulder.

"Last night."

"I don't remember doing that to you last night."

"Hayate did it. It seems he didn't enjoy me touching you while you were asleep last night."

**

* * *

I don't want to see **

Roy was in a state of shock. He thought today was going to be a regular day at the office. Well, whatever was deemed normal in his day at the office. He just never expected to see this standing in front Headquarters. Sure he had issued the miniskirt policy yesterday and expected to see a fuming Riza. Instead he was greeted with a smiling Riza in what he believed to be the shortest miniskirt in the world.

"Morning, Fuhrer," she greeted him. "Did you have a good night?"

"Umm…yes," Roy said trying to get over the shock. "Are you okay, Riza?"

"Of course, I am, sir. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just expected you to be mad about the new uniform."

"I've dealt with it."

"Oh."

"Let's getting go. Headquarters will be in disarray if you don't get started on your paperwork."

So Roy and Riza walked into the building. Roy had a feeling that something was amiss, but at the sight of Riza's legs his mind was in the gutter. Which was why he initially failed to take notice of his surrounding officers. It wasn't until Havoc had stomped his way up to him that he was finally let into the loop.

"Fuhrer, this isn't exactly what I meant when I agreed to the miniskirt policy," Havoc nearly screamed out when he pointed to his legs.

"Why the hell are you wearing a miniskirt, Havoc?"

"Because you issued the order that said that _all_ _officers_ were from now on to wear miniskirts with their uniform. And Hawkeye has made sure that every officer has followed it."

"I didn't want to see your legs. I wanted to see hers." Roy immediately pointed his index finger toward Riza's legs. By now most of the male personnel had gathered around their newly appointed Fuhrer. None of them seem to enjoy the miniskirt policy. Sure they enjoyed seeing the female personnel in them but if it meant they would have to then there needed to be a talk with a certain fuehrer. A thought had don on Roy when he turned his attention to Riza. "So this is why you're so happy. You knew I forgot to put the word "female" in the order."

"Of course, sir. I do proofread all of your paperwork."

"I didn't want to see hairy men's legs all day. I wanted to see smooth silky legs, preferably yours, draped across my lap."

"Maybe this will teach you to do your paperwork properly."

"Fuhrer Mustang!" boomed through the hallway as Armstrong made way towards all of them. It wasn't the best sight to behold since Armstrong's miniskirt was almost as short as Riza's. It showed off too much of his leg muscles. "I absolutely love wearing this miniskirt. It provides so much freedom."

"I'm glad at least one male officer is happy," Roy awkwardly said.

"And look, I don't have to wear boxers anymore," Armstrong said lifting up the hem.

"Ahh, I'm blind!" Roy screamed as he covered his eyes. The other men did the same. Riza just turned around. "I definitely don't want to see that anymore! Riza, write this down."

"Go ahead, sir," Riza replied.

"By order of Fuhrer Roy Mustang, no man whether they be officers or not is to _ever_ wear a miniskirt. Female officers are still required to wear them."

"Sir…"

"Fine, fine. Female officers may wear either the miniskirt or pants with their uniform."

"Thank you, sir. You can sleep in bed with me again."

"Good, good. Now Armstrong, pull your skirt back down!"

**

* * *

That Which Cannot be Understood **

Havoc and the others were always confused as to why their colonel, Roy Mustang, would give everyone a day off. It wasn't the fact that he had given everyone the day off; it was that it was always on the same day every year. For that one day they wouldn't see him. He would literally disappear off the face of the world. It sort of became a tradition for Havoc, Falman, Breda, and Fuery to spend the day together, even though they did that every day. They often just went barhopping. But this turned out to be different from all the other years because they decided to walk around downtown instead.

"Havoc!" a voice called out to him. He immediately turned out to be smothered by an elderly woman. "My little chain smoker!"

"Mama Mustang!" Havoc shouted as he hugged the woman. They were soon joined by a man that Havoc easily recognized. "Papa Mustang!" He shook hands with him after he was released from the hug. "What are you two doing here?"

"We always come visit Roy on this day," Mama Mustang answered. "And where have you been? Roy says that you're always busy every year we come. Yet I never see you working in the office when we stop by."

"I've been around. Mustang never told me about your visits. If I've known, I'd pick you up from the train station."

"That little fire starter of mine. Telling me that you were too busy to see your Mama Mustang, the nerve of that boy."

"And where is Mr. Pyro?"

"Don't know," Papa Mustang answered. "He looked a bit nervous. I think he saw somebody he knew. We got separated a few minutes later."

"There he is!" Fuery shouted as he point out into the crowd at Roy. "He's talking with Hawkeye."

Sure enough, there was Roy sitting next to Riza at a water fountain. Hayate was sitting in Riza's lap as the two of them talked with each other. Roy did look like he was nervous as he sat there. He kept looking around, most likely looking around for any signs of his parents.

"Hawkeye?" Mama Mustang questioned them. "Who's that?"

"Oh, that's just the first lieutenant," Havoc answered. "We usually call her by her last name, Hawkeye. Her first name is Riza."

"Riza? Is that the Riza my little boy keeps talking about every time we visit? He just can't stop talking about her. It's always Riza this, Riza that. Come on, Honey. Let's go join up with them. We have a lot to talk about."

Mama Mustang grabbed onto her husband's arm and dragged him away to talk with Roy and Riza. Havoc and the others now knew why they never saw him on this day. The blush on his face was well worth the pain that they were going to be in the next day because Havoc was absolutely sure that Mama Mustang was going to tell Roy about how they pointed them out. He knew why Roy gave Riza the day off now, but he couldn't understand why Roy gave him and the others the day off. They knew when to keep their mouth shut and not embarrass him unlike Maes. And it wasn't like Roy had a thing for them.

**

* * *

Murderer **

Murderer. It was what many had said before the snap of his fingers or the hiss of her bullets. The one word that would echo through their minds as they are pulled into the world of despair and depression. It was a word they would hear many more times when they returned to their own country. They were murderers now. Killers sent to do the bidding of another without a reason behind it.

But like every coin, there's always two sides of a story. To the Ishbalans that they killed, they were murderers. But to every soldier there, they were heroes. They had protected their lives at the cost of their souls. To the people waiting home for them, they were heroes. They were ensuring a safe country for their families.

In Roy Mustang's mind, he was every bit a murderer. He killed those that didn't deserve to die. To him he was a true murderer for taking away those that were trying to save lives. He had been called "the war hero of the Eastern Rebellion" but he would have gladly taken the title "destroyer of lives". His hands are completely covered with the blood of innocents and yet he wonders how _she_ can still see him as a hero.

Riza Hawkeye has followed him nearly all of her military career. It's no wonder that her hands are covered in blood as well. He always seem to attach destruction but yet she still chooses to stay with him. She sees what he can't see. She sees a human being.

Roy sees a heroine in her as much she sees a hero in him. She had saved his sanity, heart, and soul simply by being loyal to him, but more importantly by being his sanity, heart, and soul for him. Riza sees a hero in him because he gave meaning and purpose to her life. They see each other as murderers. But at the same time, they see each other as heroes because like every coin there's two sides to a story: one where they take lives and another where they protect them.

* * *

It'll probably be a while until I update this one again. Oh well, you have my other stories to keep you busy until then. See ya! 


	5. Chapter 5

It's been a while since I updated this. I've been busy. Plus, I was running low on ideas for the themes. I'm actually not all that happy about this batch. They're decent. I guess. Anyway, I should let you all be the judge of that. So, enjoy!**

* * *

**

**Penance**

For two years, he was out here. It was his choice to live out in the cold, bleak post in the north. This was the only way that he could repent for all the suffering he had done throughout the years. He had to feel the pain that he had caused others. That was why he had left her. It was his own form of self-punishment. A live without her was, to him, beyond all forms of agony but he had to do this.

Not too long ago, his former second lieutenants had come to visit him. Havoc had been surprised when he had used a match instead of his gloves to light the cigarette that was pulled out. Roy hadn't used his alchemy since that fateful night. His alchemy was the source of all his pain. It was hard to give up but this was his penance, to lose another aspect that was deeply a part of him. He pushed away the familiar warmth to embrace the coldness that was hidden in heart. He became an outer shell of his former self. To him, it had been a godsend that it was just Havoc and Breda had visit him, his first and only received visit. He didn't know what he would do if it had been Riza that had come.

And it was a good thing that she hadn't come. He learned from Havoc that she was suffering just as much him. It never occurred to him that she would follow him despite the distance between them. She was right behind as he blindly walked into the darkness. That hurt him deeply to know that not only was he hurting himself but her as well. Havoc had said that she was like a walking shell like himself. The fire in her eyes had long disappeared.

Roy wanted to run out that door and back into her, to take her into his arms. But he knew that he couldn't, not just yet. He had to serve his time before he could finally return to his love. His ghosts had to forgive him first. Until then, he would sit in this rackety shack and recount the errors of his life. He hoped and wished that she would wait for him, until the day that he can truly be worthy of her.

* * *

**God**

Roy could never believe that there was a single powerful being that had created all life that should be worshiped by so many different people. He heard that this god was suppose to be merciful. Where was this being when he was destroying the lives that it had supposedly made?

The Ishbalans had said that alchemy was going against the teaching of their god, Ishbala. If alchemy went against it, that why did it exist in the first place? Why was the power to change things given to _common_ people to use. This ability of recreation could be used by anyone and thus some believe themselves to be god. How is anyone to believe that there is one all powerful being when there are so many claiming to be one?

Still this wasn't the main reason why Roy didn't believe in such a person. He just couldn't believe that someone intentionally created the beauty standing in front of him. How could someone make a body as perfect as hers with her personality? And how could that person be so stupid by controlling fate so that she was placed a foot away from him, given his reputation, especially in that outfit.

"Sir, my face is up here," she said a bit annoyed.

"Nice legs," Roy whispered in a daze. "Probably really smooth."

"Sir!"

"Yes, Lieutenant!"

"I said my face is up here, not down where my skirt is."

"Of course," Roy quickly replied lifting his head a tad.

"A little higher, sir."

* * *

**The Person I Have to Protect**

"Why?" Roy said. "Why did you do that?"

No one answered him as he continued to sit in his chair. He had been there everyday for the past week. Every chance that he got, he would return to this chair, return to her. It had been his fault that she was there. If he had been paying more attention, then she wouldn't be there, in the hospital looking so pale.

A week ago, there had been an insurgent in the outskirts of Central. He and his team had been sent to suppress it. It happened so fast that he could barely remember what occurred. All he remembered was whizzing of a bullet through the air and then the soft weight of her body against his. Everything afterwards was a blur. The others had said that the rebels immediately gave up due to the intensity of his flames.

Now it was his lunch hour and he was once again in her hospital room. They had managed to remove the bullet and stop the blood lost. The doctors had said that luck was on her side. Due to their height differences, the bullet had miss her heart by several centimeters. Roy was elated when he was told that she would make a full recovery. But he was starting to have doubts because she still hadn't woken since she had been brought in.

"Why did you take the bullet that was meant for me?"

"Because I promised to protect you," a small voice said as a cold hand touched his cheek.

"Riza, you're awake!"

"Kind of hard to sleep with you talking so much."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Hmm…and you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to me."

"But it's because of me that you were hurt."

"It was my choice. I told you I would always protect you even if it meant my life."

"But I'm suppose to protect you, too. If you're not there, then how can I."

Riza could see how deeply affected Roy was with this incident. She knew that there was a high chance that she wouldn't survive the gunshot wound, but she had to do it. He was the person that she had to protect. Only his goal for fuehrer could better the country. It was a risk she had to take. Her life in exchange for countless others. She placed her other hand on his face and pulled him close until she was looking him dead in the eyes.

"I'll always be with you, Roy. And I don't need you to protect me. I'm a big girl."

"Well, I don't need you either. I'm a guy."

"Says the man who was crying a few days ago."

"You heard that?"

"Even though I was resting, I could still hear what was going on around me."

"Umm…what else did you hear?"

"Nothing much…I expect you to hold up your deal about a new gun."

"Sure."

"And I thoroughly enjoyed your little love confession."

"Oh, damn," Roy mumbled blushing. "Now, you're not going to tell Maes, are you?"

"Of course not," Riza replied. "He's the only thing I can't protect you from."

* * *

**Not There**

"You okay, Chief?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

The two of them were walking down one of the corridors of Central Headquarters. They had just come out of a meeting. Roy looked a bit angsty. He had been fidgeting the entire time during the meeting. It was making Havoc feel jumpy. He had never seen Roy like this. It was different from the usual calm, cool man he knew.

"You keep looking over your shoulder every five seconds."

"Sorry, can't help it. I'm just not use to not having Riza with me."

"Oh."

"It's weird. There's always been a comforting feeling whenever she's near. I always know if she was behind me without having to look. I could sense her presence."

"So you don't feel safe without her. Is that why you kept squirming during the meeting? It was my first time being in that type of meeting since I was taking over for Hawkeye. I didn't know if you were always like that."

"Yeah. Riza actually…holds my hand when nobody is looking. It helps calm me."

"Uh…don't expect me to do that tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I won't."

The two of them reached Roy's office. Since Havoc was taking over Riza's duties for the time being, he did his paperwork at her desk. He had to keep the colonel on task. As time passed, he was getting a bit annoyed. Roy kept looking over his shoulder at a spot near the window. Some times he would get caught looking over at Havoc.

"Would you quit that," Havoc nearly shouted.

"Sorry."

"Hawkeye will be back in two weeks."

"I know. I just miss her."

"You'll see your wife when you get home."

"It's just not the same without her here."

"God, I don't know how Maes survived babysitting you for the last month. I never should have volunteered to take over for him. Riza better be back when her maternity leave is over."

* * *

**Seems like Weeping**

It was a mysterious sound that Riza and the others had heard throughout the office. They had no clue what it was. Riza had quickly dismissed it coming from Hayate despite how much Breda had insisted that it was a monster and how Hayate was the only one present. Fuery had ruled out the hallway when he stuck his head out the door. The only place left was the colonel's office adjoined to theirs. Riza had been unanimously been volunteered to check it out.

"Sir?" Riza said as she put her head through the door. The room had been dimmed and she could barely make out Roy's outline. She walked into the room and closed the door behind her. From her distance she could see Roy's shoulders slightly shaking. And it sounded like Roy was sniffling. "Sir, are you alright?"

"I'm okay," Roy's cracked voice replied.

Riza immediately went to her colonel's side. It wasn't a sight she had expected when she reached his side. Little streams of tears were running down his cheeks. Her warm hands cupped his wet face, forcing him to look at her.

"You're crying," Riza bluntly said.

"No, I'm not," Roy said rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, you are. Now, tell me why."

"It's nothing."

"Roy."

"Fine! I ripped my gloves."

"That's it," Riza laughed. "You're crying because you ripped your gloves."

"It's not funny."

"You silly man." Riza pulled his face closer and kissed his tears. Then she placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Roy took this great opportunity to give her a firmer kiss. Riza moved back to find him smiling which she returned. She used her thumbs to wipe away the remaining tears before stepping back. "Give them here."

Roy obediently handed them over to her. She pulled out a little box from inside her uniform jacket. Inside it was a needle and thread. There were other things in there but nothing relevant at the moment but the needle and thread. Riza quickly went to work and stitched up the torn gloves. Once done, she return them to their owner.

"Thanks," Roy quietly said as he took them back. His hands lingered against Riza's for a few seconds before removing them. He brought the gloves to his chest and held it protectively against his heart. "Thanks for fixing them."

"You're welcome," Riza said putting the little box back in her jacket. "I don't see why you're crying over them. You have plenty of other gloves."

"They're my favorite gloves, the first pair that you ever made for me."

* * *

Umm...okay. Not my best, but I guess they're alright. At least I put some humor into them. Hopefully the next five themes will be better. Well, I'm done for the time being. See ya! 


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, I'm drawing a blank with my other stories right now. And when that happens, I usually start working on the 100 royai themes. So here is the next batch. Enjoy!**

* * *

Cureless**

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"So there's nothing I can do."

"Nope."

Roy sighed as he tried to absorb this information. It had been a few weeks after he had killed the fuehrer, better known as the homunculus named Pride. He was staying at Riza's place since it was more convenient for everyone. She had gracelessly volunteered to take care of him until he was back to perfect health. Currently he was propped up against some pillows talking to Havoc, who had come for a visit. Riza had gone out to get some more apples for Roy to eat.

"I can't believe it," Roy said.

"Sorry, but it's the truth," Havoc replied with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. "When did you find out?"

"A week ago. What about you?"

"A few years ago."

"That long and you didn't tell me!"

"I thought you would have figured it out already, didn't think you were that dense."

"I'm not dense."

"Sure, Chief."

"Anyway, are you absolutely sure that there isn't any type of medicine that I can take for this illness?"

"Positive. You can't get rid of it."

"Isn't there any old wives' remedy or something?"

"No. I checked even though I know that it was a waste of time."

"But why can't there be a cure for this!"

"It not the end of the world."

"It is for mine, at least a part of it."

"Come on. What's so bad about falling in love, especially with Hawkeye?"

"I have to give up my playboy days."

"And that's a bad thing? Think about it, Mustang. You give up these money-grubbing, superficial women for someone you love with all your heart. And I'm positive that she loves you, too. It's a great deal."

"I guess."

Havoc just ran a hand through his hair. Was it really a bad thing to love Riza? Apparently it was to Roy. He acted like being in love was equivalent to having the plague. Maes probably would have had better luck with this if he was still here, at least after he rubbed it in Roy's face. Havoc left about ten minute later after he had given up on trying to convince Roy that he didn't have a disease. A few minutes later, Riza walked into the room with a bag of apples.

"I'm back," Riza said going to the small table next to Roy's bed. "Did you have a nice visit with Havoc?"

"It was okay," Roy grumbled. He kept glancing at Riza from the corner of his eye, taking in all her beauty. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to give up his playboy days. He was afraid that his feelings weren't going to be returned. She hadn't shown any romantic signs to him despite what the others have been telling him. "Did you have a nice walk while you were out?"

"It was good," Riza replied as she pulled out an apple from the bag. Before she could sit on the stool that Havoc had previously occupied, one of Roy's arm shot out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her down to sit on the bed next to him. Riza looked to his face for an explanation, but it didn't look like she was going to get one. So instead she shifted around to get more comfortable while Roy removed his arm. "Hayate enjoyed it as well."

"That's nice."

"Are you alright? You're less talkative than normal."

"I'm fine."

"You're not feeling sick again, are you?" Riza didn't wait for a reply. She placed the plate along with the apple and knife that was on her lap on the table. She turned her body so that she could look at Roy better. Her warm hand gingerly touched his forehand. It didn't seem hot, but she did notice the color in his cheeks. She trailed her hand down to cup one side of his face. Her thumb brushed across the heated skin only to make it redder. Roy looked into her eyes while she was occupied with his well-being. He saw them full of concern. "Do I need to call the doctor?"

"Well, Havoc did say that I was stricken with an incurable illness. But I don't need a doctor."

"Why is that?"

"Because he said I was lovesick."

"Oh."

"With you."

"I see."

"Umm…how do you feel about this?"

"Well, this is unexpected. And Havoc said that there was no cure. That's too bad."

"Oh." Roy lowered his head so that Riza couldn't see the disappointment in his eye. He was caught off guard when he felt warm lips against his. Involuntarily his eyes fluttered closed and he lips moved against hers. A bit later they separated. Roy opened his eye to deeply stare into her amber ones. He smiled when he caught a glimpse of red on her cheeks. She promptly went back to peeling the apple. "I guess Havoc was right on all counts. And I'm glad there's no cure for being in love. I don't want to give up this feeling."

"Same here. It's too bad Maes isn't here for all of this. I guess Glacier can have all his winnings from the bets that were made between him and the others."

"Damn, that means I have to give her two hundred cenz."

**

* * *

Lean on Me **

"Don't put all your weight on me, sir."

"Sorry, I'm tired," Roy said shifting his weight. "That better?"

"Yes. And don't worry, we should be there in about fifteen minutes. Let's hurry before the others get too far ahead of us."

"Right."

The two of them continued their journey across the area with renewed strength and speed. They needed to get to the end before everyone else did. It was a tiring mission but the fuehrer had ordered it. They had to climb over so many obstacles. It was harder on Riza because she was basically dragging Roy the entire time. He had injured his leg earlier that day but he still insisted that he was well enough to continue.

"We're almost there, sir."

"Is there still anyone ahead of us?"

"No, we passed the last one a few minutes ago."

"Good, let's go." After a while they finally reached their destination. They had made it there before anyone else. The two of them continued to walk until they reached a tree where they promptly sat against it. Both were breathing heavily. "Glad that it's over."

"Yes, sir. How's your leg?"

"It's fine, just a bit numb."

"I'll take you to the medical tent later."

"I'm sure it's just a small sprain. Next year's military picnic, let's leave out the three-legged obstacle course."

"Or at least one not so long."

"Yeah. Who's in charge of the picnic this year anyway?"

"Armstrong."

"I should have known. Next year, we'll plan it."

"Actually, Hughes already volunteered."

"I'll schedule a mission for us that day."

"Way ahead of you, sir."

Over time the other participants arrived at the finished line. Some had emerged from the forest looking and feeling exactly like Roy and Riza. A small majority had actually given up and was driven to the finish line or unfortunately had been carried there by Armstrong. When everyone had finally arrived, they all crowded around the small stage there with their families. Nearly all of them were still tied at the leg to their partners, leaning on each other for support. For the most part they had been boy/girl pairs. Fuhrer Bradley stood on the stage looking over the group.

"That was certainly a good race," he voice boomed over the area. "You have all done well but there can only be one winning pair. This year it is Colonel Mustang and First Lieutenant Hawkeye. Please come up and receive your prize."

The crowd watched and waited for the pair to go up the stage. A few minutes passed and neither had arrived. Fuhrer Bradley called for them again but there wasn't any sign of them. People were beginning to get worried. Their heads were moving from side to side looking for them. Some had kept their eyes on the medical tent since they knew of the colonel's injury from a previous event.

"Isn't that cute?" Maes yelled above the group. Everyone turned his or her heads to look at him. They found him with a grin and camera plastered across his face. He was clicking away at the camera. Glacier was at his side with Elicia in her arms. A similar smile was on her face, and Elicia was pointing at something. Everyone turned to look at what they were staring at. "This one is definitely going on the bulletin board."

Roy and Riza were sitting next to each other against a tree asleep. Riza was leaning heavily on Roy. Her head rested on his shoulder and his head was top of hers. Roy had one arm around her waist as the two of them slept. Their legs were still tied together. It was a picture of peacefulness.

"Should we wake them?" Fuery asked.

"No, let them rest," the fuehrer's voice carried to them. "It looks like they need it. I'll give them their prize later. Let's continue with the rest of the games. And Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Yes, sir," Maes answered.

"Be sure to give me a copy."

**

* * *

Pain and Wounds **

"Is he alright?"

"He'll live. There were only a few deep gashes, which should completely heal in a few weeks. The rest will heal a bit quicker since they weren't as deep. As for his eye, I'm sorry but we couldn't save it."

"As long as he lives, I don't care. Can I see him now?"

"The nurses are cleaning his wounds right now and then they need to bandage them up. Let's take care of your own injury until they are done."

"It's only a scratch."

"It still needs to be taken care of."

"Fine."

Riza and the doctor walked into an empty room where it was cleaned and wrapped up. It had been deeper than what the two had originally thought. In the end, it needed stitches. During this whole thing, Riza didn't flinch. She was too busy concentrating on something or rather someone else. When they had finished and left the room, they were greeted with some surprise. Upon entering the hallway, they could hear the loud yells of a particular man.

"Are you trying to kill me?" a male voice sounded the halls. "Haven't you heard of being gentle?"

"Sir, stay still or you'll tear you stitches," a female voice accompanied his, no doubt a nurse. "If you don't stop we'll have to tie you down."

"Now is not the time to be kinky. I'm injured."

"Sir!"

"If his mouth and mind are working like that then he'll definitely be fine," Riza dryly commented.

"Even injured, he's exactly like the stories I've heard about the famed playboy," the doctor added. "I'm actually surprised that he's awake already."

"Sir, stay in bed! You'll only make things worse."

"But I need to make sure that Riza is okay. I'm certain that I heard her call out to me before I loss consciousness."

"The woman that brought you in is being tended to by the doctor right now."

"She was hurt! That's it. I'm getting out of here."

"Colonel, get back in bed!" Riza voice sounded through Roy's hospital room. Roy and his nurses turned to the door to find Riza and the doctor standing there. She had a stern glare pointed at Roy because he was halfway out of bed despite his injures and the nurses. "And I mean now!"

Roy quickly obliged and pulled the covers up to his chin. He then plastered an innocent look on his face in hope of some sympathy. The nurses were dumbly blinking at the speed in which Roy had gotten back into bed. The doctor looked on in amusement on how someone of the colonel's rank was so quick to follow the orders of someone lower than him and a woman at that. Riza walked up to one of the nurses and took their bandage roll.

"Wait, what are you doing?" the nurse asked.

"Dressing his wounds," Riza simply replied.

"But I should be doing that."

"Let her be," the doctor said. "I doubt that you can do a better job with the colonel. He'll probably start yelling again if you try to bandage him."

"Yes, please leave," Roy piped up. "She's done this before. And she a lot gentler than the nurses here."

"Come, let's go. I'll check on you later, Colonel."

After the doctor and his nurses left, Riza went to work. She removed his blanket so that only waist down was covered. Her first job was his arms. The nurses had managed to do his torso so there wasn't much she had to do. Roy tried his best to not show any pains in front of her but he wasn't doing very well.

"Are you in pain?" Riza asked him as she wrapped his left arm. "I won't think you're weak if you admit it."

"It does a little, but at least it's not as bad as with the nurses. Your hands have always been gentle with me. And how are you doing? I heard you were hurt, too."

"It was nothing but a scratch. Archer's bullet only managed to graze me, only a couple of stitches. And I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not getting there in time."

"Archer was an unexpected factor. It couldn't be helped. You're not perfect. I'm not perfect. The world isn't perfect. That's how things are for us. It makes things more beautiful. So don't blame yourself."

"Thank you." Roy hissed in pain when Riza began to clean the cuts on his face. The rubbing alcohol sent a tingling and stinging sensation across his face; it scrunched up in pain. Riza quickly leant down and gently held his head. She slowly blew across the wound. Afterwards, she moved her head back so that she could look at him. "Better?"

Roy was a bit stunned at what happened. Normally, their faces had never been that close. And that simple act made him want to blush. He could tell in her eyes that she was extremely concerned about him right now. That was expected. He shouldn't be awake at this point. But at the moment, he felt a bit embarrassed because his eye kept zoning in on her lips. Deciding to stay on this course, he weakly brought his hand to the back her neck and pushed her lips down to his. Both were breathing heavily, Roy more than Riza, when they parted.

"I am now."

"You're definitely back to normal. Already trying to get with your nurse."

"What can I say? She has very talented hands."

Riza simply rolled her eyes and went back to bandaging him. She made sure to put plenty of rubbing alcohol on the next wound. Roy hissed again as more pain shot through his body. He glared her, but she returned it with a smug smile. In return to that, he pouted.

"Just making sure that you're really in pain, sir. With the way you're acting, it doesn't look like these wounds are life-threatening."

"You're mean."

"Go to sleep. You need your rest."

Roy didn't hesitate to follow that order. It was a miracle that he was even awake, let alone alive. He was tired, and he clearly showed it. His eyelids drooped down and his shallow breathing had evened out. Riza smiled at the peaceful look on his face. She quickly finished dressing his wounds, making sure not to hurt him. After giving his forehead a quick kiss, she held his hand and sat back in her chair. She would spend the night and many other nights with him.

**

* * *

Existence **

Sometimes Roy doubted his existence. He couldn't tell if his life was a dream, more like a nightmare, or not. He had done things that made him wonder. Could he really be here? The things that happened in his life seem too farfetched to actually be real. How is it possible that he could control flames? This was one of the basic elements. Yet, he could easily make it come from his fingers with the help of his protex gloves. Then there was the fact that with this power, he used it to take many lives. Wasn't he supposed to be there to help the people?

The Ishbal War seemed to be the greatest nightmare of his life. One second he was killing thousand of innocent people, the next he was standing on a stage receiving medals for this action. Is life really like this? Then there were all the times that he positively believed that he was dreaming, mainly when he had paperwork to do or with the amount of women that he had gone through. And then the homunculus made their appearance. Their existence was like a child's fairytale. They had all these different types of abilities that would make one think that it was nothing but a story. Was he just a part of some writer's story, too?

But if this life he was supposedly living was really a dream, did it mean that she wasn't real either? Riza had been with him every step of the way. She had helped him, saved him, supported him, and loved him. Through the hard times, she had always been by his side without question. Could there be someone like her that truly existed? At least to him, she did. After all, the emotions he felt for her had to be real. A person can't love something that isn't there.

**

* * *

Conversation /Dialogue**

"Was that really necessary, sir?"

"He needs to learn that he can't go against the military, especially if he's in it."

"But wasn't his punishment a bit harsh? Even you would rather do paperwork than take that punishment."

"Well, he did blow up half the office building and my apartment. A little time helping Maes organize his photo albums seem like the right course of action."

"You're just doing it for your own pleasure. You like to see him distraught."

"Not at all. My kids should learn to listen to their elders when they tell them it's dangerous."

"I know you refer Havoc and the others as your kids, but I don't think Edward would like to be called your son."

"Hey, I don't say anything when you do that."

"That's because they don't mind when I do. Everyone considers me their second mother."

"But I'm considered their second father. I do more for them than their actual one does."

"Alphonse actually calls me 'Mom' and Edward does that when you aren't around. What do they call you?"

"Alphonse calls me by rank, and I'd rather not say what Fullmetal calls me."

"My point exactly. If you're nicer to Edward, meaning you don't make fun of his height, then maybe one day he can really call you his father. Alphonse will follow suit."

"Since you're their mother that would make us like a married couple if I'm their father."

"We already act like one."

"Not completely. I haven't woken up with you in my bed yet."

"That won't happen unless we're really married."

"Ugh…and that won't be until after I become fuehrer and get rid of the fraternization law."

"I know, only a while longer."

"It may take years."

"I'm willing to wait. But as some incentive, I already have what I'm going to wear on the honeymoon. Something very short, lacy, and possibly see-through."

"Riza, where is my pen? I need to get this paperwork done!"

* * *

Please don't scold me if the updates for my other stories, the main one that most of you should know, is a bit late. I have a habit of having the beginning and end already done in my head but no middle. Right now, I'm at a road block. So don't be surprised if this story gets updated more often. See ya! 


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